Free Republic

Mike Ginsberg, chairman of the 8th District Republican Committee for the Republican Party of Virginia: I know it looks like this area is for Obama by a mile, with all the yard signs and everything, but I wanted to make a few points to give you some reason for optimism. One of the jobs of our committee is to provide bumper stickers and signs to supporters. We can’t keep enough of these materials in stock. We get cleaned out of signs and stickers week after week at local farmers’ markets and local festivals and events. There is an enormous amount...

A true panoramic view of one part of the Italian Dolomites. Posted 1/3 size; click for full effect! If you go to the heading link, you can see the same image with labels of the names of the peaks, and a different panorama.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2007 – Ongoing Multinational Force Iraq operations against terrorists are focused in the country’s northern provinces, where al Qaeda activity is heavy, a U.S. military official said from Baghdad. Al Qaeda has gravitated north because they’ve been pushed out of Anbar province, in the west, and improved security has constrained their operations in Baghdad and areas south, Air Force Col. Donald Bacon, chief of strategy and plans for Multinational Force Iraq’s Strategic Communications Division, said in a conference call with online journalists and “bloggers” Dec. 19. Operation Iron Reaper, which began the last week of November, is...

Two women from Diyala province cut wire to assist in the assembly of transformers at a Diyala Electrical Industries factory which is located in Baqouba, Iraq, Oct. 22. Diyala Electric Industries, which has been operating at a limited capacity since 2003, now employs approximately 800 citizens from Baqouba and its surrounding villages. Photo by Sgt. Serena Hayden, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — North continues working with the Government of Iraq to rebuild the infrastructure and improve the quality of life for the people of Northern Iraq. Since assuming responsibility of northern Iraq in September...

Northern Rock customers withdraw £1bn By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Correspondent Last Updated: 10:13pm BST 14/09/2007 About £1 billion was withdrawn by panicking Northern Rock customers on Friday, as fears for the bank's future sent shock waves through the City and caused its shares to crash. The company's phone lines were jammed for most of the day, its website crashed and the 72 branches were besieged by thousands of worried customers after it admitted having to ask the Bank of England for emergency funding. The scenes came as the financial turmoil that has engulfed the money markets in the past...

Northern Rock customers queue for cash as crisis hits high street By Emma Thelwell Last Updated: 3:01pm BST 14/09/2007 The credit crisis spilled onto Britain's high streets today as worried Northern Rock customers queued up to withdraw their savings. Their fears were prompted by the revelation this morning that Britain's fifth-biggest mortgage lender had to ask the Bank of England for emergency financial assistance. Tony Looch: 'I'm taking the lot out' Despite Northern Rock's assurances that there was no need for customers to panic, queues continued to build steadily at the London branches visited by the Daily Telegraph today. For...

WASHINGTON, July 13, 2007 – Now at full strength, the U.S. troop surge in Iraq is showing “definitive progress” and the number of forces serving in Iraq’s Multinational Division North could be halved by summer 2009, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon said today. A reduction of U.S. forces under the general’s command could begin as early as January 2008, he told Pentagon reporters via videoconference. Mixon, commander of both Multinational Division North and the U.S. Army’s 25th Infantry Division, is responsible for six Iraqi provinces in northern Iraq, including the city of Baqubah -- site of the ongoing...

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Reports that Turkey has massed a huge military force on its border with Iraq bolstered fears that an invasion targeting hideouts of Kurdish rebels could be imminent. But how deeply into Iraq is the Turkish army willing to go, how long would it stay and what kind of fallout could come from allies in Washington and other NATO partners? All these questions weigh on Turkey's leaders, who have enough on their hands without embarking on a foreign military adventure. Turkey is caught up in an internal rift between the Islamic-rooted government and the military-backed, secular establishment, less...

Huge storms sweep northern Europe Huge waves pound the port of Wimereux, northern France At least 25 people have been killed as violent storms lashed northern Europe, causing travel chaos across the region. Britain was the worst hit with nine people killed as rain and gusts of up to 99mph (159km/h) swept the country. Hurricane-force winds battering Germany have claimed at least seven lives. The other deaths were reported in France, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. The severe weather has forced hundreds of flight, rail and ferry cancellations and prompted road and school closures. Meteorologists at London's Met Office...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2006 – One result of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was the establishment of U.S. Northern Command to deal with threats aimed at the United States, the organization’s commander said here today. During an interview at the Pentagon’s Radio Day event, Navy Adm. Timothy Keating spoke his personal experiences during the attack and about his command. Keating, who is also the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command, was the Navy’s director of operations in the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. “I was in the operations update when the news hit of the first plane...

Northern Refuge: White spruce survived last ice age in Alaska Sid Perkins Genetic analysis of white spruce trees at sites across North America suggest that that species endured the harsh climate of Alaska throughout the last ice age, a notion that scientists have debated for decades. ICE AGE SURVIVORS. White spruce trees, common in high-latitude North American forests today, endured in Alaska during the last ice age, a new genetic analysis suggests. Inset shows Alaskan and other sites (red dots) sampled in that study. iStockphoto; (inset) Anderson, et al. Picea glauca, the white spruce, is one of the most common...

Israel withdraws troops from northern Gaza (Filed: 08/07/2006) Israel has withdrawn its forces from most of the northern Gaza Strip, where fighting has left nearly 30 Palestinians dead. Column of Israeli tanks The Israeli army, which launched its offensive 11 days ago to free an abducted soldier, pulled out today from the towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, the Erez industrial zone, and three former Israeli settlements. Troops had seized the area earlier this week, creating a "buffer zone" aimed at deterring militants from firing rockets into the coastal city of Ashkelon. However, rocket fire has continued. An army...

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, May 16, 2006 – When the 2nd Brigade of the 9th Iraqi Mechanized Division assumed 150 square kilometers of battlespace north of Baghdad yesterday, it was more than just a paperwork shuffle. "From the command and control perspective, they go from reporting to (the 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry) to me," 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Commander U.S. Army Col. James Pasquarette said during an interview. "They now report straight into my headquarters, and I report to the 4th (Infantry Division)." But this arrangement is only temporary. In June, the 2nd Brigade's parent unit, the 9th Division, will...

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2006 – All the Iraqi security forces in northern Iraq are engaged in the fight against terrorism and are making progress toward leading operations early next year, the U.S. general in charge of operations in the area said today. U.S. forces in the northern provinces are focused on building an Iraqi security force capable of providing domestic order and denying safe haven to terrorists, Army Maj. Gen. Thomas R. Turner II, commander of Multinational Division North and the 101st Airborne Division, said in a news conference from Iraq. Four Iraqi army divisions operate in the north, consisting...

/26/2006 - FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAREZ, Iraq (AFPN) -- In the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, Airmen from the 332d Air Expeditionary Wing are using their construction expertise to help the U.S. and Iraqi governments and the U.S. Army. The 557th Expeditionary Red Horse Squadron is deployed in support of the Army's 555th Combat Support Brigade (Maneuver Enhancement) here. Red Horse stands for Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operations Repair Squadron Engineer. "Red Horse is a heavy construction outfit that directly supports combat air power worldwide," said Senior Master Sgt. Brian Richardson, Red Horse airfields manager. "They provide air component commanders...

"I fear that the government is refraining from sending IDF troops into Gaza to stop the Kassam rockets because it doesn't want to admit its mistake in withdrawing from Gaza in the first place." So said Prof. Moshe Arens today, speaking with Arutz-7's Uzi Baruch. Prof. Arens served as Defense Minister in four different Israeli governments and Foreign Minister in one. Arens said that a military ground operation is necessary because the "IDF's artillery barrage on northern Gaza is totally futile, as the terrorists fire the rockets from densely populated areas while Israel shells empty areas." "The security establishment must...

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2006 – The relative calm that has been seen in Iraq's northern provinces can be attributed to aggressive coalition and Iraqi leaders who understand the area and know how to diffuse problems before they happen, a U.S. commander in the area said today. "The presence of coalition forces, along with an increasingly competent and confident Iraqi army brigade and Iraqi police force inside Kirkuk, are keeping a lid on potential violence," Army Col. David R. Gray, commander of 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, said in a satellite news conference from Iraq. Kirkuk province is an ethnically diverse...

ABOARD USS PELELIU IN THE NORTHERN PERSIAN GULF, April 13, 2006 – A multinational task force is hard at work here, seeking to preserve the free and secure use of the northern Persian Gulf by legitimate mariners and to prevent terrorists from transporting personnel, weapons or other illicit material by sea. Combined Task Force 58 includes naval forces from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, including U.S. Coast Guard, as well as Iraqi sailors and marines. U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Carl B. Jensen, who leads Expeditionary Strike Group 3, took command of the task force April 10....

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, March 24, 2006) – Iraqi army and Coalition Forces kicked off Operation Northern Lights March 22 to disrupt anti-Iraqi forces, and find and destroy terrorist caches in the Abu Ghraib area west of Baghdad. The joint and combined operation began with 3rd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, and 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, moving to blocking positions by ground before Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, air assaulted onto the objective to conduct a cordon and search. By late afternoon, Soldiers from the 3rd Bde., 6th Iraqi Army...

Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO The National Weather Service warned Sunday that a Northern California storm could cause flooding in portions of the Russian River and Napa River. The service issued flood warnings for the Napa River at St. Helena for late Sunday night or early Monday morning and for the Russian River at Healdsburg for Monday morning. The Napa River at St. Helena had risen to about 8 feet early Sunday afternoon, below the 19-foot flood level, said Jeff Kopps, a hydrologist at the National Weather Service in Monterey. The Russian River at Healdsburg had risen to about 3 feet,...

TIKRIT, Iraq (Army News Service, Jan. 26, 2006) – Coalition forces captured 63 suspected insurgents in northern Iraq so far this week, including some thought to be in a ring responsible for local beheadings. Two caches of weapons were also found in the Tikrit area, including artillery shells rigged to propane tanks that officials said could have been used against the local population. Terrorists captured while placing IED Task Force Band of Brothers Soldiers captured three terrorists placing an Improved Explosive Device near Hawijah Wednesday afternoon. Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team saw the men drive...

TIKRIT, Iraq (Army News Service, Jan. 12, 2006) – Two kidnapped Iraqi men were freed, three weapons caches discovered and 21 anti-Iraqi suspects were detained in northern Iraq Jan. 11. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division were patrolling Wednesday afternoon in Khadasia when they surprised a group of men gathered around two vehicles. The vehicles raced away as the patrol approached. One vehicle escaped, but the Iraqi troops were able to stop the second. The Soldiers quickly disarmed the two suspects and searched the vehicle. The victims were found bound and gagged in the car’s...

News Tip: Upcoming Supreme Court Case 'Huge' for Abortion Rights, Law Professor Says “The question in this case isn’t whether Roe v. Wade is going to be overturned, but whether it is going to be severely undermined,’’ says Neil Siegel Monday, November 28, 2005 Durham, N.C. -- On Nov. 30, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider a challenge to a New Hampshire law that could significantly affect abortion rights, a Duke University law professor says. In Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, the Court will consider, among other things, how courts should analyze abortion restrictions and whether a...

MOSUL, Iraq (Army News Service, Nov. 14, 2005) – Two insurgent mortar teams were captured near Baqubah and 76 other suspected terrorists were detained in northern Iraq this past week. Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Forces from Task Force Freedom detained 76 suspected terrorists and seized a number of weapons during operations in northern Iraq Nov. 9-14. Iraqi Police along with Soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment detained 24 individuals suspected of terrorist activity and seized AK-47s during separate operations in Tal Afar Nov. 10-11. Iraqi Army Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division detained 15 individuals...

Just wanted to let Freepers know that Larry Northern, the man that knocked down the crosses outside the Bush ranch, is a Purple Heart winner from Vietnam. He was wounded by shrapnel that hit his juglar vein. I think maybe he had enough of Shean. She brings back the worst of how our soldiers were treated after Vietnam.

MOSUL, Iraq (Army News Service, Oct. 3, 2005) – Iraqi security forces and Soldiers from Task Force Freedom detained 49 suspected terrorists, killed two insurgents, injured another two, and seized weapons during operations in northern Iraq Sep. 30 - Oct. 3. Nine individuals suspected of terrorist activity were detained during a cordon and search operation in western Mosul Oct. 2. In central Mosul on the same day, three individuals suspected of terrorist activity were detained by Iraqi police alongside Soldiers from the 2/1 Infantry Regiment during a cordon and search operation. The Task Force Freedom Soldiers involved the operations were...

Larry Chad Northern, a 59-year-old Speegleville, Texas resident was arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief for allegedly running over some of the makeshift crosses placed on the side of the road by anti-war protestors near the President’s Crawford, Texas ranch on Monday night. Mr. Northern is identified as a Vietnam veteran and a realtor in Waco. Now as to his motivations, one can only offer conjecture. I would guess that, as a veteran of a war in which the sort of people with whom Cindy Sheehan is associating led anti-war protests and spat on soldiers as they returned from...

London 17.03.05 | On very rare occasions I lift my self imposed restriction to comment upon issues non related to my country but I guess the recent killing of Robert McCartney by IRA terrorists is a good opportunity to do so and draw some comparisons between Northern Ireland and Venezuela.Informed readers ought to be aware of the terrorist activities of the IRA in their campaign to 'liberate' Northern Ireland of British occupation. From a Republican perspective said exercise to reclaim sovereignty by the Irish is somewhat admirable. As a matter of fact not long ago I quotedGerry Adams remarks “sometimes...

Howard Dean and Yankee Democrats don't have a clue what it means to be a Southerner. It's not about Confederate flags. It's about honor, family, self reliance and American patriotism. Who are these Confederate voters that Vermonter Howard Dean wants to represent? Is Jefferson Davis on the ballot again? I thought he was dead, along with the Confederate States of America. Hey, I’m a Southerner, why didn’t I get the memo? Duh, Dean was just being "hisself", a Yankee liberal, describing voters as he sees people – divided by race, class and gender. What a hoot. Liberals imagine identity politics...

Contact: Aron Mazel a.d.mazel@ncl.ac.uk 44-191-222-7845 University of Newcastle upon Tyne New prehistoric rock carvings discovered in Northern England Example of rock art at Weetwood Moor, Northumberland (credit, Aron Mazel) More than 250 new examples of England's finest array of prehistoric rock art carvings, sited close to the Scottish border, have been discovered by archaeologists compiling a unique database. Now over one thousand of the 'cup and ring' carvings can be admired on a new website, which carries 6,000 images and is said to be the most comprehensive of its kind in the world. The site, which goes live today, includes...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

You Know You're From Northern Virginia If... 1. Speed limits are just suggestions. 2. You take a major highway to school (95, 66, 28, etc.). 3. You constantly complain about there being nothing to do, even though you are right next to DC. 4. You have at least 2 friends who have no idea what their parents do because it's "top secret" government work. 5. 50% of your senior class plans on going either to Mason, JMU, Tech, or UVA. 6. When people ask where you're from, you tell them DC because it's easier to explain. 7. You've never told...

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - A weekend casting call for a proposed reality TV show based on the Civil War drew potential contestants hoping for the grand prize: $1 million in gold. Producer Kevin Dolan is shopping around "Sabers and Roses" and said he is hopeful of landing a network deal. Dolan owns the historic Landon House in Maryland, where real-life Confederate Gen. Jeb Stuart hosted his "Sabers and Roses" ball in 1862 before the battle of Antietam.Dolan would host the show in the guise of his alter ego, "Johnny Reb." Contestants would be divided into Yankee and Rebel teams; each contestant...

On July 9, 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel's security barrier was a violation of international humanitarian law and human rights law. Eleven days later, the United Nations General Assembly voted 150-6 to condemn Israel and demand removal of the barrier. All twenty-five members of the European Union supported the motion.[1] The EU position would not have been so offensive had it not then undertaken an act of stunning hypocrisy. In August 2004, the EU put out tenders for companies to construct a European separation fence to prevent migration into the EU from countries excluded from...

Neanderthal Man 'never walked in northern Europe' By Tony Paterson in Berlin (Filed: 22/08/2004) Historians of the Stone Age fear that they will have to rip up their theories about Neanderthal Man after doubt has been cast on the carbon dating of skeletons by a leading German anthropologist. Work by the flamboyant Professor Reiner Protsch von Zieten showed that Neanderthal Man existed in northern Europe. Calculations on skeletal remains found at Hahnofersand, near Hamburg, stated they were 36,000 years old. Yet recent research at Oxford University's carbon-dating laboratory has suggested that they date back a mere 7,500 years. By that...

WASHINGTON (AP) - A sweeping wilderness bill affecting 300,000 acres of Northern California forests, mountains and coastline is needed to shield some of the region's most spectacular areas from development, California lawmakers said. "The area is absolutely beautiful, it's breathtaking, it needs to be protected," Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, said Wednesday at a Senate Energy Committee subcommittee hearing on the legislation. Thompson's Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act, sponsored in the Senate by California Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, would designate 300,000 acres in California's northern coastal counties as wilderness lands. The areas include portions of the...

23 Killed in Northern Iran Earthquake 46 minutes ago By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer TEHRAN, Iran - A strong earthquake shook central and northern Iran on Friday, killing at least 23 people — some buried by landslides on a mountain road — and seriously damaging more than 80 villages, the Interior Ministry and state-run media said. More than 100 others were reported injured by the 6.2 magnitude earthquake, which struck at 5:08 p.m. and was centered about 45 miles north of Tehran, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Eight provinces in central and northern Iran were affected by the...

Remains shed light on the northern `barbarians' The Asahi Shimbun AOMORI-In ancient times, northern Honshu and southern Hokkaido were considered untamed lands inhabited by mysterious barbarians who refused to be ruled by Japanese emperors. Much remains a mystery about the northern ``Emishi'' people, but a recent excavation in Aomori Prefecture sheds some light on the tribes that had a long history of conflict. Researchers have dug up an unprecedented number of iron arrowheads, as well as human remains-one with its hands bound-from the Hayashinomae ruins near Hachinohe. The discovery suggests a fierce war was fought at the settlement site in...

Remains of an ancient civilization discovered in the depths of the Northern sea While some scientists spend all their time and efforts in search of Atlantis, others have already discovered remains of an ancient civilization that had existed on the same territory as present-day Northern sea. With the help of modern technology, archaeologists were able to get a better glimpse of the ancient world. Approximately 10 000 years ago the entire bottom of the Northern sea had been a blossoming valley, inhabited by ancestors of modern-day Europeans. Scientists from the Birmingham University were able to reach such conclusion after reconstructing...

Northern Lights appear over Scotland A solar storm has hit Earth's outer defences, generating colourful northern lights in Scotland. This spectacular aurora display was captured over the pier at St Andrews by Thomas Robitaille, an undergraduate student of Astrophysics at the town's university. The display follows a large solar flare which sends a stream of charged particles towards the earth that are captured by the magnetic field lines in the polar regions and when they hit the upper atmosphere, excite molecules of gas, mainly nitrogen and oxygen, causing them to emit an eerie green and red light. The storm was...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 October 23 Cygnus Nebulosities Credit & Copyright: Steve Mandel, Galaxy Images Explanation: Looking toward the constellation Cygnus, a stunning and complex region of nebulae strewn along the plane of our Milky Way galaxy is revealed in this unique wide-angle sky view. Recorded with a filter designed to transmit light emitted by hydrogen atoms, the image emphasizes cosmic gas clouds in a 34 by 23 degree field centered...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 September 10 Aurora Over Clouds Credit & Copyright: Dominic Cantin Explanation: Aurorae usually occur high above the clouds. The auroral glow is created when fast-moving particles ejected from the Sun impact air molecules high in the Earth's atmosphere. An oxygen molecule, for example, will glow in a green light when reacquiring an electron lost during a collision with a solar particle. The lowest part of an aurora...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 August 25 The Northern Milky Way Credit & Copyright: Jerry Lodriguss (Astropix.com) Explanation: Many of the stars in our home Milky Way Galaxy appear together as a dim band on the sky that passes nearly over the Earth's north and south poles. Pictured above is the part of our Galaxy that passes closest over the north pole. Placing your cursor over the image will bring up the...

Patriot Defenders Network - TheGoodFight - Operation Military Support Proudly Presents Rally for America - California State Capitol California State Capitol Main Entry - West Steps - 10th & L Street Sacramento   Rally for America will be an afternoon that pay  honor to our American military personnel, their families, our veterans and America's Commander in Chief.  Rally for America will feature professional entertainers who love our country and support our troops. This is your rally! There will be an open microphone session for personal comments, tributes and inspirational non-partisan speakers will address rally participants. This is a family...

<p>The first in a series of Pacific storm systems has descended on northwestern California and will continue to bring rain, snow and strong southerly winds to the mountains of interior Northern California through the weekend.</p> <p>According to the National Weather Service, the first wave will make its biggest impact in the Sierra Nevada, where five to 10 inches of snowfall is expected to fall. Snow levels will range between 5,500 feet and 6,000 feet. Winds from 25 mph to 35 mph will accompany the storm.</p>

Report: 30,000 U.S. troops now in northern Saudi Arabia SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COMTuesday, March 11, 2003 ABU DHABI — Saudi opposition sources, whose initial reports of a U.S. deployment in northern Saudi Arabia have proven credible, now assert that the number of U.S. troops in the kingdom has reached 30,000. Saad Al Faqih, a spokesman for the London-based Saudi Islamic Reform Movement, said the U.S. forces are being deployed along the Iraqi-Saudi border. Faqih told the Qatari-based A-Jazeera satellite channel that the U.S. troops are equipped with weapons and are being harbored in Saudi military bases. More U.S. troops...

Doubts over America's northern pincer may give Saddam a chance to strengthen his defences By Patrick Cockburn 04 March 2003 The failure of America to persuade Turkey to allow its bases to be used by troops for an attack on Iraq has complicated Washington's plans to open a northern front against Saddam Hussein. The United States had hoped to attack Iraq from the north and south. Now the existence of the northern pincer is in doubt. About 62,000 US soldiers and 310 military aircraft were to be deployed in Turkey, enabling the 4th Infantry Division to push south. The prizes...

Northern Thrust of Iraq Invasion Plan in Doubt By Adam Entous and Ralph Boulton WASHINGTON/ANKARA, Turkey (Reuters) - The northern thrust of a planned two-pronged U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was thrown in doubt on Wednesday after Turkey put off any decision on whether to allow American forces onto its soil. With Western forces building up in the Gulf region, the United States and Britain were working to draw up a U.N. resolution authorizing force that they hope will placate global opposition to a war assumed to be only weeks away. But the government of Turkey, Iraq's northern neighbor, deferred a...

Wednesday, 4 December, 2002, 11:01 GMT'Clashes' in northern Iraq PUK fighters have clashed with the Ansar militantsFierce fighting has erupted in northern Iraq between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and Muslim militants believed to be linked to al-Qaeda, it is reported. Fighters from a group known as Ansar al-Islam (supporters of Islam) took two PUK hilltop positions near the city of Halabja, close to the Iranian border, according to the Associated Press news agency. The agency quotes a PUK commander as saying 20 of his fighters were killed or injured in the fighting. Battles between the PUK and Ansar...

Asteroid 'hit northern Russia' A large meteorite is thought to have smashed into a forest in a remote area of Russia. Residents in the town of Bodaibo, in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, saw a large luminous body fall from the sky. They say the impact caused the ground to shake and made a sound like thunder. Flashes of bright light could be seen above the impact site, which was a long way from any settlements according to the Russian newspaper Pravda. "Locals felt a strong shock, which could be comparable to an earthquake," said the report. "In addition to...